Illinois Connection

Abercrombie was born and raised in Evanston Illinois.

Biographical and Professional Information

Barbara Abercrombie is a actor, educator and author. She has acted in both stage and television productions including the television series ''Ironside'' and ''Route 66''. Barbara now lives in Santa Monica, California and Twin Bridges, Montana.

Published Works

Childrens Books:

Amanda and Heather, and Company , Dandellon, 1979

Cat-Man's Daughter, Scholastic Paperback, 1983

Michael and The Cats , Macmillan, 1993

Bad Dog, Dodger! , Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2002

The Show-and-Tell Lion , Margaret K. McElderry, 2009Adult Books:

Good Riddance, Futura, 1985

Run for Your Life, Fawcett, 1986

Writing out the Storm: Reading and Writing Your Way Through Serious Illness or Injury, St Martin's Press, 2002

Courage and Craft: Writing Your Life Into Story, New World Library, 2007

Cherished: 21 Writers on Animals They Have Loved and Lost, New World Library, 2011

A Year of Writing Dangerously: 365 Days of Inspiration and Encouragement, New World Library, 2012

Kicking In the Wall: A Year of Writing Exercises, Prompts, and Quotes to Help You Break Through Your Blocks and Reach Your Writing Goals, New World Library, 2013

"Have you always wasted to write about your life but wondered how to get started, how to keep going, and whether it's even worth it in the first place? Under the guidance of veteran author and writing. Barbara Abercrombie, you'll learn how to turn the messy, crazy, sad, and wonderful stuff of your life into prose or poetry that has order, clarity, and meaning." "Abercrombie presents the nuts and bolts of several genres, showing you how to keep a journal, craft a personal essay, or write a memoir, autobiography, poem, or work of fiction. She offers lessons to embolden you as a writer and practical guidelines for working writing into your everyday life, giving and receiving feedback, and getting your work published. In Courage & Craft, you'll find exercises to keep the inner critic at bay, inspiration from writers who've been there, and proven advice for getting your words on the page and out into the world."--Jacket.

"What do our beloved pets teach us and how do we move beyond loss to embrace and celebrate their memory? In Cherished: 21 Writers Celebrate Animals They've Loved and Lost, writers put into words the depth of grief felt after their animals' deaths, the lessons learned from their lives, how these animals changed them, and the joy they left behind. These remarkable stories go far beyond conveying the heartbreaking loss that pet owners experience when their pet dies. With rare literary texture and insight, they convey how pets fit into the messiness of life and how life changes because of them. Each essay speaks to larger truths and insights about life itself. Our pets help us deal with the continual litany of changes that life dishes out. They see us through family deaths, career changes, divorces, financial ups and downs. But when they inevitably pass away, who can we turn to for solace except those with whom we share this common experience. Cherished features remarkable writers and remarkable stories, three-quarters of them original to this collection. Novelist Samantha Dunn describes her driven cowgirl mother who finds ingenious ways for her daughter to keep Gabe, their pure white gelding, while living at lot #78 of the Enchanted Hills Mobile Home Park. Anne Lamott describes the powerful moment of community that forms as she and her son face the passing of their dog, Sadie. Memoirist May-lee Chai writes about growing up on a South Dakota farm and grappling with the inevitabilities of farm life as she becomes attached to the three pigs she reluctantly cares for. And with beautiful, cutting detail, poet Mark Doty describes the last days of his dog, Arden"--